Balanced Fracturing and Cold-welding of Magnesium during Ball Milling Assisted by Carbon Coating:Experimental and Molecular Dynamic Simulation

The lignite-derived carbon from self-protection pyrolysis was employed to balance the fracturing and cold-welding of magnesium during ball milling.Particle size analysis indicates that the introduction of lignite-derived carbon can effectively reduce the particle size of Mg while the introduction of graphite does no help.Besides,the effect of lignite-derived carbon on crystallite size reduction of Mg is also better than graphite.A moderate cold-welding phenomenon was observed after ball-milling Mg with the lignite-derived carbon,suggesting less Mg is wasted on the milling vials and balls.Molecular dynamic simulations reveal that the balanced fracturing and cold-welding of magnesium during ball milling is mainly attributed to the special structure of the lignite-derived carbon:graphitized short-range ordered stacking function as dry lubricant and irregular shape/sharp edge function as milling aid.The preliminary findings in current study are expected to offer implications for designing efficient Mg-based hydrogen storage materials.

Effects of high-energy ball milling oxide-doped and varistor ceramic powder on ZnO varistor

ZnO varistor ceramics doped with Bi2O3, Sb2O3, CO2O3, Cr2O3, and MnO2 were prepared separately by two high-energy ball milling processes： oxide-doped and varistor ceramic powder. A comparison in the electrical and microstructural properties of the samples obtained by both methods was made. The best results on these characteristics were achieved through the high-energy ball milling varistor ceramic powder route, obtaining a nonlinear coefficient of 57 and a breakdown field of 617 V/mm at a sintering temperature of 1000 ℃ for 3 h. The samples synthesized by this technique show not only high density value, 95% of the theoretical density, but also a homogeneous microstructure, which compete with those obtained by the high-energy ball milling oxide-doped powder route. With the advantage that the high-energy ball milling varistor ceramic powder route can refine grain, increase the driving force of sintering, accelerate the sintering process, and reduce the sintering temperature.

Bimodal-grained Ti fabricated by high-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering

Bimodal-grained Ti containing coarse and fine grains was fabricated by high-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microstructure and mechanical properties of the compacts sintered by Ti powders ball-milled for different time were studied. Experimental results indicated that when the ball-milling time increased, the microstructure of sintered Ti was firstly changed from coarse-grained to bimodal-grained structure, subsequently transformed to a homogeneous fine-grained structure. Compared with coarse-grained Ti and fine-grained Ti, bimodal-grained Ti exhibited balanced strength and ductility. The sample sintered from Ti powders ball-milled for 10 h consisting of 65.3% (volume fraction) fine-grained region (average grain size 1 μm) and 34.7% coarse-grained region (grain size > 5 μm) exhibited a compress strength of 1028 MPa as well as a plastic strain to failure of 22%.

Improving hydrogen storage thermodynamics and kinetics of Ce-Mg-Ni-based alloy by mechanical milling with TiF_(3)

Mg-based hydrides are too stable and the kinetics of hydrogen absorption and desorption is not satisfactory.An efficient way to improve these shortcomings is to employ reactive ball milling to synthesize the nanocomposite materials of Mg and additives.In this experiment,TiF_(3)was selected as an additive,and the mechanical milling method was employed to prepare the experimental alloys.The alloys used in this experiment were the as-cast Ce_(5)Mg_(85)Ni_(10),as-milled Ce_(5)Mg_(85)Ni_(10)and Ce_(5)Mg_(85)Ni_(10)+3 wt.%TiF3.The phase transformation,structural evolution,isothermal and non-isothermal hydrogenation and dehydrogenation performances of the alloys were inspected by XRD,SEM,TEM,Sievert apparatus,DSC and TGA.It revealed that nanocrystalline appeared in the as-milled samples.Compared with the as-cast alloy,ball milling made the particle dimension and grain size decrease dramatically and the defect density increase significantly.The addition of TiF_(3)made the surface of ball milling alloy particles markedly coarser and more irregular.Ball milling and adding TiF_(3)distinctly improved the activation and kinetics of the alloys.Moreover,ball milling along with TiF_(3)can decrease the onset dehydrogenation temperature of Mg-based hydrides and slightly ameliorate their thermodynamics.

Improved length of calcium sulfate crystal seeds and whiskers via ball milling and hydration treatment

Elucidating the effect of growth periods on the quality of calcium sulfate whiskers(CSWs)prepared from calcium sulfate dihydrate(DH)is imperative.Herein,crystal seeds and whiskers were prepared from DH in a water–glycerol system.Longer whiskers were obtained from crystal seeds prepared via hydration of DH for 30 s than via ball milling for 5 min followed by hydration for 20 s.The attachment of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide and glycerol additives to the whisker tops promoted whisker growth.The whisker sponges exhibited good thermal barrier properties and compression cycle stability.

Effects of ball milling time on porous Ti-3Ag alloy and its apatite-inducing abilities

Ti and Ag powders were mixed with different ball milling time （1, 2, 5 and 10 h） and sintered into porous Ti-3Ag alloys. The samples were treated with hydrothermal treatment, and their apatite-inducing abilities were further evaluated by immersion in modified simulated body fluid. The results indicate that the high surface energy brought by powder refinement leads to the decline of Ag, but promotes the oxidation of Ti during the sintering process. Meanwhile, the hydrothermal treated porous Ti-3Ag alloys prepared by the powders ball milled for 10 h possess the best apatite-inducing ability.

Effect of ball milling on microstructural evolution during partial remelting of6061 aluminum alloy prepared by cold-pressing of alloy powders

The effect of ball milling on the microstructural evolution was investigated during partial remelting of 6061 aluminum alloy prepared by cold-pressing of atomized alloy powders.The results indicate that the microstructural evolution of 6061 aluminum alloy can be divided into three stages,the dissolution of eutectic phases and the coarsening and growth behavior of the resulting grains,structural separation and spheroidization of primary particles,and the final coarsening behavior of the particles.Compared with the alloy without ball milling,ball milling accelerates the first stage of microstructural evolution due to the energy stored in the powders,but the latter two stages are slowed down because of the formation of large-sized powders.Moreover,the finer the as-cold-pressed microstructure is,the smaller and more spherical the primary particles in the final semisolid microstructure are.Furthermore,properly elevating the heating temperature is beneficial for obtaining small and spheroidal particles.

Structural, Magnetic and Heating Efficiency of Ball Milled γ-Fe2O3/Gd2O3 Nanocomposite for Magnetic Hyperthermia

The preparation of γ-Fe2O3/Gd2O3 nanocomposite for possible use in magnetic hyperthermia application was done by ball milling technique. The nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The heating efficiency and the effect of milling time (5 h and 30 h) on the structural and magnetic properties of the nanocomposite were reported. XRD analysis confirms the formation of the nanocomposite, while magnetization measurements show that the milled sample present hysteresis with low coercivity and remanence. The specific absorption rate (SAR) under an alternating magnetic field is investigated as a function of the milling time. A mean heating efficiency of 68 W/g and 28.7 W/g are obtained for 5 h and 30 h milling times respectively at 332 kHz and 170 Oe. The results showed that the obtained nanocomposite for 5 h milling time is a promising candidate for magnetic hyperthermia due to his properties which show an interesting magnetic behavior and high specific absorption rate.

Influence of high energy ball milling on Al-30Si powder and ceramic particulate

The influence of high energy ball milling on Al 30Si powder and ceramic particulate SiC was studied by means of SEM, XRD and DSC. The results show that Al 30Si powder and their microstructure are obviously refined after high energy ball milling process. The alloy powder and SiC p stick closely to each other without interfacial reaction. DSC results detect no reaction but relaxation of the samples. So high energy ball milling can be used as an effective method for ceramic particulate pre treatment in the fabrication of MMC.

Microstructure and Electrical Properties of Er_2O_3-Doped ZnO-Based Varistor Ceramics Prepared by High-Energy Ball Milling

The microstructure, electrical properties and density of ZnO-based varistor ceramics with different Er2O3 content prepared by high-energy ball milling （HEBM） and sintered at 800℃ were investigated. With increasing Er2O3 content, the ZnO grain size decreases due to the Er-rich phases inhibiting grain growth ; and nonlinear coefficient （ α ） decreases because of the decrease of barrier height （φB） The breakdown voltage （Eb） and density increase, whereas leakage current （IL） decreases with increasing Er2O3 content. The barrier height （φB）, donor concentration （Nd）, density of interface states （Ns） decrease and barrier width （ω） increases with increasing Er2O3 content due to acceptor effect of Er2O3 in varistor ceramics.

Microstructure and electrical properties of Y_2O_3-doped ZnO-based varistor ceramics prepared by high-energy ball milling

Y2O3-doped ZnO-based varistor ceramics were prepared using high-energy ball milling （HEBM） and low-temperature sin- tering technique, with voltage-gradient of 1934-2197 V/mm, non-linear coefficients of 20.8-21.8, leakage currents of 0.59-1.04 μA, and densities of 5.46-5.57 g/cm3. With increasing Y2O3 content, the voltage-gradient increases because of the decrease of ZnO grain size; the non-linear coefficient and the leakage current improve but the density decreases because of more porosity; the donor con- centration and density of interface states decrease, whereas the barrier height and width increase because of the acceptor effect of Y2O3 in varistor ceramics.

PREPARING NANO-CRYSTALLINE La DOPED WC/Co POWDER BY HIGH ENERGY BALL MILLING

The La doped WC/Co powder was prepared by high energy ball milling. The changes of crystal structure, micrograph and defect of the powder were investigated by means of XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM (scanning electron microscope) and DTA (differential thermal analysis). The results show that adding trace La element into carbides is effective to minish the grain size of WC/Co powder. The La doped carbides powder with grain size of 30nm can be obtained after 10h ball milling. The XRD peak of Co phase disappeared after 20h ball milling, which indicated solid solution (or secondary solid solution) of Co phase in WC phase. The La doped powder with grain size of 10nm is obtained after 30h ball milling. A peak of heat release at the temperature of 470℃ was emerged in DTA curve within the range of heating temperature, which showed that the crystal structure relaxation of the powder appeared in the process of high energy ball milling. After consolidated the La doped WC/Co alloy by high energy ball milling exhibits ultra-fine grain sizes and better mechanical properties.

Synthesis and Characterizations of Nanocrystalline WC-Co Composite Powders by a Unique Ball Milling Process

In order to explore the high efficiency of fabricating nanocrystalline WC-Co composite powders, this paper presented a unique high energy ball milling process with variable rotation rate and repeatious circulation, by which nanocrystalline WC-10Co-0.8VC-0.2Cr3C2 (wt pct) composite powders with mean grain size of 25 nm were prepared in 32 min, and the quantity of the powders for a batch was as much as 800 grams. The as-prepared powders were analyzed and characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The results show that high energy ball milling with variable rotation rates and repeatious circulation could be used to produce nanocrystalline WC-Co powder composites with high efficiency. The compositions of the powders meet its specifications with low impurity content. The mean grain size decreases, lattice distortion and system energy increase with increasing the milling time. The morphology of nanocrystalline WC-Co particles displays dominantiy sphere shape and their particle sizes are all lower than 80 nm. The eutectic temperature of the nanocrystalline WC-10Co-0.8VC-0.2Cr3C2 composites is about 1280℃.

Role of ball milling during Cs/X catalyst preparation and effects on catalytic performance in side-chain alkylation of toluene with methanol

Ball milling modification was performed on Cs/X catalysts before or after cesium ion exchange.Multiple characterization results(such as pyridine-FTIR,XPS,and solid-state NMR)demonstrated that ball milling played a distinct role in these two different preparation procedures of the catalyst.Ball milling performed after the cesium modification has a strong influence on the Cs/X structure and acid-base properties,which results in the enhancement of the catalytic performance for side-chain methylation of toluene with methanol.Detailed studies revealed that ball milling intensified the interactions between oxides and molecular sieves,which not only increased the dispersion of the Cs species but also generated some weaker basic centers.It is proposed that the new basic centers could be Si-O-Cs and Al-O-Cs,which are produced by breaking of the Si-O-Al bonds of the zeolite framework under the synergetic effect of ball milling and alkali treatment.These new active sites may help to promote the side-chain methylation reaction.However,excessive ball milling will lead to the vanishing of zeolite micropores,thus deactivating side-chain methylation activity,which indicates that microporosity plays a key role in side-chain methylation and individual basic centers cannot catalyze this reaction.

One Step Ball-Milling Synthesis of LiFePO_ 4 Nanoparticles as the Cathode Material of Li-Ion Batteries

A one-step synthetic method was used to synthesize Olivline LiFePO4 powders by direct ball milling the stoichiometric mixture of Fe, Li3PO4 , and FePO4 powders. XRD and TEM measurements revealed that the as-prepared LiFePO4 powder have a homogeneous Olivine structure and a uniform size distribution of ca. 50 nm. Based on this material, a LiFePO4/C composite was prepared and used for the cathode material of Li-ion batteries. The charge-discharge experiments demonstrated that the LiFePO4/C composite material has a high capacity of 132 mAh/g at 0.1 C and a quite highrate capability of 95 mAh/g at 1 C. This new ball-milling method may provide a completely green synthetic route for preparing the materials of this type cost-effectively and in large volume.

Optimization of Process Parameters for in High-Energy Ball Milling of CNTs/Al2024 Composites Through Response Surface Methodology

The mathematical models are developed to evaluate the ultimate tensile strength( UTS) and hardness of CNTs / Al2024 composites fabricated by high-energy ball milling. The effects of the preparation variables which are milling time,rotational speed,mass fraction of CNTs and ball to powder ratio on UST and hardness of CNTs / Al2024 composites are investigated. Based on the central composite design( CCD),a quadratic model is developed to correlate the fabrication variables to the UST and hardness. From the analysis of variance( ANOVA),the most influential factor on each experimental design response is identified. The optimum conditions for preparing CNTs / Al2024 composites are found as follows: 1. 53 h milling time,900 r / min rotational speed,mass fraction of CNTs 2. 87% and Ball to powder ratio 25 ∶ 1. The predicted maximum UST and hardness are 273.30 MPa and 261.36 HV,respectively. And the experimental values are 283.25 MPa and256.8 HV,respectively. It is indicated that the predicted UST and hardness after process optimization are found to agree satisfactory with the experimental values.

Synthesis of Nano-Size AlN Powders by Carbothermal Reduction from Plasma-Assisted Ball Milling Precursor

Nano-size aluminum nitride （A1N） powders have been successfully synthesized with a high efficiency method through annealing from milling assisted by discharge plasma （p-milling） alumina （Al2O3） precursors. The characterization of the p-milling Al2O3 powders and the synthesized AlN are investigated. Compared to conventional ball milling （c-milling）, it can be found that the precursors by p-milling have a finer grain size with a higher specific surface area, which lead to a faster reaction efficiency and higher conversion to A1N at lower temperatures. The activation energy of p-milling Al2O3 is found to be 371.5 kJ/mol, a value that is much less than the reported value of the unmilled and the conventional milled Al2O3. Meanwhile, the synthesized AlN powders have unique features, such as an irregular lamp-like morphology with uniform particle distribution and fine average particle size. The results are attributed to the unique synergistic effect of p-milling, which is the effect of deformation, fracture, and cold welding of Al2O3 powders resulting from ball milling, that will be enhanced due to the introduction of discharge plasma.

Effect of thermal treatment and ball milling on microstructure and phase transformation of Ni-Mn-Ga-Nb alloys

To clarify phase transformation evolution of Nb-doped Ni-Mn-Ga bulk alloys after aging and ball milling, the microstructure and phase transformation of the aged and ball-milled dual-phase Nb-doped Ni-Mn-Ga alloys were investigated by SEM, EDS, XRD, DSC and susceptibility measurements. The as-cast alloys were mainly composed of the second phase with layer-shape and presented a reduced martensitic transformation with increasing the second phase content. The second phase transformed from layer-shape to dense bar-shape and the martensitic transformation was enhanced after being quenched at 1173 K. After aging at 673 and 873 K, the 3% Nb alloy with less second phase exhibited a single-step phase transformation, whereas the 6% Nb and 9% Nb alloys with more second phase exhibited a two-step martensitic transformation and Curie transition. The martensitic transformation and Curie transition of the as-milled dual-phase particles disappeared and were retrieved after annealing at 1073 K due to the recovery of high ordered structure of the matrix.

Modelling of the High-Energy Ball Milling Process

In this paper, the milling parameters of high energy ball mill (Fritsch Pulverisette 7) like vial geometry, number and size of balls and speed of the mill were modelled and discussed. Simulations through discrete element method (DEM) provide correlation between the milling parameters. A mathematical model is used to improve and develop this process. The results show that the loss of powder mass can remarkably improve the performance of milling. The balls made of stainless-steel have a positive effect on the milling efficiency. The simulation shows that the high ball milling velocities can contribute to faster particle size reduction.

Ball-milling MoS_2/carbon black hybrid material for catalyzing hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic medium

Replacing platinum for catalyzing hydrogen evolution reaction （HER） in acidic medium remains great chal- lenges. Herein, we prepared few-layered MoS2 by ball milling as an efficient catalyst for HER in acidic medium, The activity of as-prepared MoS2 had a strong dependence on the ball milling time, Furthermore, Ketjen Black EC 300J was added into the ball-milled MoS2 followed by a second ball milling, and the resultant MoS2/carbon black hybrid material showed a much higher HER activity than MoS2 and carbon black alone. The enhanced activity of the MoS2/carbon black hybrid material was attributed to the increased abundance of catalytic edge sites of MoS） and excellent electrical coupling to the underlving carbon network.